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Car Less Ohio
Promoting the bicycling lifestyle in The Buckeye State
On the road again
Posted by on February 19, 2011
I did an indoor trainer session on Tuesday of this week, and planned to get another one in Thursday morning. When Thursday morning came around, the bed just felt too warm and cozy, so I decided to put off the trainer session until Friday.
Thursday evening, I noticed that the weather forecast was looking pretty good for Friday, wither temperatures expected in the low 50′s, so instead of getting on the trainer, I thought it would be a good day to start getting back in the habit of riding to work.
Come Friday morning, that 6:30am inertia starting feeling hard to overcome again, both when it came to riding to work and getting on the trainer. But, I figured taking a real ride outside was the lesser of two evils, so I got my bike, riding gear, and change of clothes organized. As soon as I headed down the driveway, I was very glad I made the decision. The sun was shining, and the air was crisp and cool, but not too cool. The snow and ice had pretty much all melted from the sides of the roads, as well as on the short stretch of bike path that I take out of my neighborhood. The only real inconvenience was the layer of silt and pebbles that collects on the sides of the roads during the winter.
On my way down Route 91, it occurred to me that had I done the hour-long workout on the trainer, then I would have spent a half-hour driving to work, then another half-hour driving home from work. Instead, I was spending an hour riding to work, and an hour riding home from work–two hours total in either case, plus I was getting the added benefit of double the amount of exercise time.
During the day at work, several people commented that it was supposed to cool off considerable by the evening. Since I ended up being actually a little too warm during the morning ride in, I figured I was okay; I’d either be dressed just right or just a little cold. In the end, the temperature during my ride home was a couple degrees higher compared to the morning. It was pretty windy, though, but I was lucky enough to have the wind in my back during the first half of my ride east on Route 303. When I made the turn north on Route 91, the crosswinds knocked me around a bit, but nothing too terrible.
I was surprised when I actually made it home during the last remnants of daylight, another encouraging sign that true spring weather is just around the corner.
Specialized Bicycles Groveport Open House
Posted by on February 11, 2011
Ohio was once home to the factories that produced some of the most recognized names in bicycles: Murray, Huffy, and others. With the exception of a few small custom frame-builders, there aren’t that many bicycles being manufactured in these parts any more. However, the bicycle industry is thriving here in Ohio.
Ohio and other parts of the Midwest enjoy a position in geography that makes us not more than a couple day’s drive from every population center in the eastern United States. That makes Ohio a good choice as a base for warehousing and distributing products made elsewhere around the world. Many of the most well-known names in today’s bike industry take advantage of this by having distribution centers located in Ohio. These include Raleigh USA (in Pataskala), Bianchi USA, Seattle Bike Supply (in Reynoldsburg, distributors of the Redline, Torker, and Lapierre bike brands), and Specialized.
Specialized is based in Morgan Hill, California. They operate a warehouse serving the western US from Salt Lake City, Utah. In December of 2010, Specialized moved its eastern distribution center from Grove City to Groveport, Ohio (both on the outskirts of Columbus), in order to expand their warehouse space and implement other features to make their distribution process more efficient. The company held a grand opening and open house reception on February 11, 2011, and I was among those from the local bike industry and media who were invited to attend.
I drove to the Groveport facility past row after row of mostly featureless buildings, I presumed most of which were in the same business of storing and distributing products. The Specialized building was at the end of the drive on which they are located; fortunately, they had signs and flags posted outside to let everyone know that we were in the right place. I walked in and was greeted by some of the staff, one of whom handed me a bag of schwag, which contained a Specialized Riders Club jersey, a water bottle, a book commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Stumpjumper mountain bike, a sticker, and copies of the Specialized 2011 road and mountain bike catalogs. The bag itself was a re-usable grocery bag (in Specialized red, of course).
I was immediately able to join one of the tours of the warehouse, which was led for my small group of three by Jared, one of the warehouse staff. Jared walked us through the stacks of bicycles, clothing, components, and accessories that were stored in rows of shelving units at least three, sometimes more, rows high. Jared explained that about one-half of the available space is used for bicycles, about one-quarter for what they call “equipment” (anything not a bike), and about one-quarter is currently unused.
The bicycles arrive on one side of the building, and are also shipped to bike stores back out from that same side, using either FedEx Freight or FedEx Ground. The equipment arrives on the other side, and is shipped back out on that side using FedEx Ground. Here’s the equipment side, where orders going to bike shops are packed up and prepared to be shipped out:
The warehouse area was about 63 degrees, but Jared explained that was for our benefit; it’s usually kept colder to save energy. The overhead lighting is controlled by motion sensors, so that lights are only activated when needed in an area of activity. Another energy-saving measure is the use of large industrial ceiling fans, which help to keep the warm and cool air circulating, cutting down on the amount of re-heating that needs to be done to the air (or re-cooling in the summer).
I asked Jared about the employees’ bike commuting habits; he explained that there were quite a few that went to work by bike in the old Grove City location, but now many of them live further away, plus with the cold weather and snow this time of year, there were not many people riding their bikes in. The access road to the industrial park is not very bike-friendly either, with a 55mph speed limit and little to no shoulder, much less any bike lane or trail. Once they get more settled in the new location and the weather improves, they hope to take steps to more actively promote bike commuting. I did notice that they had showers in the restrooms.
Back in the reception area (the staff break room), I enjoyed some refreshments and talked to some of the other guests. I spoke to Lynette Carpiet, a journalist with Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, the bike industry trade publication. She flew to Ohio just to cover this event; being based in southern California, she marveled at how anyone could think of riding in our winter weather!
I sidled up to a group of a few guys, and noticed that one of them was none other than Ned Overend, the mountain biking legend. I asked if it was okay to get a photo with him, and he obliged; he was quite friendly and down-to-earth. We chatted a bit, surprisingly not about his illustrious racing career, but about cycling advocacy. We said he was really impressed with all of the work various groups do all around the country to improve bike access and awareness.
The formal part of the event started after everyone had their chance to take the warehouse tour. Kim Peterson, Specialized’s National Director of Distribution, introduced Jesse Rogers, the manager of the Groveport distribution center in which we were sitting. Jesse is the oldest employee at Specialized, having run the Ohio distribution center from its various different locations since it was first established 29 years ago. He described how the process was run at the very beginning, and how it has evolved and become larger and yet more efficient over the years.
Other speakers included the eastern regional sales manager for Specialized, a representative from the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, a representative from the business development office of Groveport, and Ned Overend, who talked about how the feedback from professional racers sponsored by Specialized goes directly into the product design and development process. Finally, a drawing was held to give away a Specialized Roubaix road bike, and the winner was Matt Ford, an employee of one of the Bike Source stores.
For the final event, the group assembled outside the front door of the building for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Thank you to Specialized for their invitation to this event. You can see more photos in this slide show:
Cleveland Heights and Riverside work to complete bike facilities
Posted by on February 5, 2011
Two stories in this week’s news highlight the efforts of two Ohio communities to improve their bicycle-friendliness.
Cleveland Heights is working to obtain two grants to improve bicycle and public transportation access to neighboring University Heights and the rest of Cleveland. More details can be found in this article in the Sun Press.
The city of Riverside is working to complete a 3.6 mile section of bike trail through the city, completing connections to existing adjacent trails and communities. Funding is in place, but construction cannot begin until easements from several property owners are obtained, along with approval from the city council. A public input meeting is scheduled for February 7. Full details are in the Dayton Daily News.
Winter Cross-Training
Posted by on January 26, 2011
In years past, I’ve done a fair amount of winter riding. This year, however, I can’t seem to get the motivation to bundle up and get out on two wheels, so I’ve not been very good at promoting going by “car less.”
Not that I have any shortage of bikes to ride, but another thing distracting me from my off-season riding is this year’s round of winter bike projects. Each winter, I seem to go through a set of changes to the configurations of my various bikes; not that any of these changes are really necessary, but it’s just something to do to keep things interesting. The problem is, the bike projects are inter-connected, e.g. I can’t finish Bike A because it needs the handlebar from Bike B, which needs the wheels from Bike C, which needs the old crankset from Bike A, etc. I feel like I need a project manager to keep track of it all, but on the positive side, there are worse problems to have.
I’ve been pretty good about putting in some time on the indoor trainer to stay in shape, but yesterday I got out to do some of my favorite cross-training activity, cross-country skiing.
The temperature was about 31 degrees when I left home; I figured that would be perfect, as it was still cold enough that the show would not be wet and sticky, but a relief from the bone-chilling cold in the teens and single-digit temperature ranges that we had over the past weekend.
I drove up to Punderson State Park, in Newbury in Geauga County, Ohio. I skied the Huron Trail (1.3 miles), the Cayuga Trail (2.2 miles), and the unofficial unmarked loop around the perimeter of the golf course (I’m guessing about 2 miles). The snow was in good condition as I had hoped. There were some tracks from previous skiers, although it looked like the last traffic had been before the latest dusting of new snow that had fallen. The only other person I came across was a guy on a snowmobile, which helped in a few cases, as his track packed down the snow in a few spots where the ski track was not well established.
There’s a Sports Center building on the left side of the park access road, but the trails mentioned above (and most of the other trails) are on the right side near the golf course. The Sports Center has a sledding hill, and I’m guessing they probably have snacks, restrooms, and a warm place to hang out and change if you need it, but the web site doesn’t list their hours or services. If you don’t need any of that, then it’s easiest to just park at the golf course (follow the signes) and hop right onto the trails from there.
Public input sought for Towpath Trail route in Tuscarawas County
Posted by on January 22, 2011
The Akron Beacon-Journal reports that the Akron-based Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition is holding two public meetings on January 24, 2011 to solicit public feedback on proposed routes for the segment of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail between Zoarville and New Philadelphia. The first meeting is at 6:00pm in the pavilion at Tuscora Park, 161 Tuscora Ave, New Philadelphia. The second meeting is at 7:30pm in Memorial Hall, 410 N. Wooster Ave, Dover.
Two of my favorite Christmas gifts
Posted by on January 10, 2011
I have not been motivated to do much outdoor riding this winter, but I received two Christmas gifts that may help get me motivated. Here I am giving them a quick driveway-length test ride:
A company called Bar Mitts makes a product like the hand warmers shown; they come in versions specific for road drop handlebars with Shimano or Campagnolo brake/shift levers, as well as for flat handlebars. Mine actually came from Cabela’s, and are intended for the Quad ATV set, but when you’re using then on a mountain/hybrid handlebar, they’re essentially the same thing as the Bar Mitts version. The only drawback to either is that they won’t play nice if you have bar-end extensions.
As for the wheel light, it will complement the multiple headlights and taillights that I’m already using, but when commuting in the dark, you can never have too many lights.
On a side note, this is my first post in the Post a Week 2011 campaign being promoted by WordPress.com (which is the service on which this blog is hosted).
Stanridge Speed Bicycles, Columbus-based frame-builder
Posted by on December 12, 2010
I just came across Stanridge Speed Bicycles, a custom frame-builder based in Columbus, Ohio. I’m not sure how long he’s been in business, but he stuff looks like the real deal. He specializes in road, track, ‘cross, and commuter bikes, all in steel, of course. Check him out at: www.stanridgespeed.com
Product Review: Civia Market 48 Fenders
Posted by on December 9, 2010
Ever since I got my Surly Cross-Check a couple of years ago, I’ve been debating whether or not to put fenders on it. I don’t use it as a cyclocross racing bike; it’s more my “light and fast touring bike” or my “slow and comfortable road bike.” My mind was made up for me when I saw the new Civia Market 48 Fenders.
My Cross-Check came in the Misty Mountain Grey color that Surly made a couple of years ago, and it’s one of a couple of bikes that I have worked to maintain a consistent color scheme with as many of the components as possible. For this bike, I’ve used red, from the headset and spacers, bottle cages, and mini-pump, right down to the spoke nipples and brake pads. When I saw that the Civia Market 48 Fenders are available in Red, I knew it was a match made in heaven.
Civia is a relatively new brand in the bike business; their main focus is high-end commuting and utility bikes for the discerning transportation cyclist. Like Surly and Salsa, they are owned by mega-distributor Quality Bicycle Products, so by using these fenders on my Surly, I’m still keeping things “all in the family.”
The Market 48 Fenders are made of anodized aluminum, and have a nice long mud flap on both the front and rear, similar to the extended flaps on the Planet Bike Cascadia Fenders. The flaps are attached with two rivets each, to keep the flaps from twisting.
The front fender went on without much trouble, with a standard fork crown bracket made of sturdy stainless steel, just like all of the other mounting hardware.
The only real hitch in the installation process was the seatstay bridge support for the rear fender. Most fender makers give you a molded plastic piece that you slide along the length of the fender until you get it into the proper position. Civia provides this piece as a straight, flat hunk of metal. I guess the rationale was that a matching stainless steel bracket would look better with all of the other mounting hardware, but if it were pre-bent to match the shape of the fender, it would scratch the finish of the fender as you slide it into place.
So, the process of installing the rear fender involved these steps:
- Remove rear wheel.
- Remove both rear brake caliper arms to give yourself room to work.
- Bolt side fender struts in place to fender eyelets near rear dropouts.
- Bolt front end of fender to the chainstay bridge.
- Loosen side strut adjusting bolts to position fender height near seatstay bridge.
- Carefully eye up and mark the position needed for the seatstay bracket.
- Un-bolt side struts and front end and remove fender from bike.
- Carefully position the seatstay bracket where marked from Step 6, and carefully bend it to match the shape of the fender.
- Wrap the extra length on both sides of the bracket around to the underside of the fender, and clamp tightly into position with pliers.
- Bolt seatstay bracket to seatstay bridge.
- Bolt side fender struts in place to fender eyelets near rear dropouts.
- Bolt front end of fender to the chainstay bridge.
- Reinstall rear wheel.
- Re-attach rear brake arms.
- Loosen and re-tighten side strut adjusting bolts to center and further fine-tune the position of the fender.
In step 6, I used a piece of thick double-sided rubber tape to mark the bracket position, then just left the tape in place as I bent the bracket around the fender. This helps to fill any gaps left between the bracket and fender (due mainly to my imperfect metal-working skills), and prevent any future shifting and rattling in the bracket-fender interface.
All fender installations tend to have their tricky points that are impossible to anticipate until you’re knee-deep in the process. This bracket was an unexpected curveball even for a relatively experienced fender-installer such as myself. All of the mounting bolts and other hardware you should need are included with these fenders, although I ended up using two of my own spare bolts on the seat stay and chain stay bridges to find a more ideal length.
The “48″ in the name of the Civia Market 48 Fenders refers to their width, in millimeters. I’m not sure why they felt the need to include it in the name, since Civia doesn’t make any “Market” models in other sizes; maybe Civia plans to in the future, though. They are theoretically compatible with up to 700x40C tires. My Panaracer T-Serv Messenger 700x35C tires run a bit wider than the name indicates; more realistically like 700x38C. The Market 48 Fenders seem to have just enough, without any noticeable rubbing, at least in the workshop environment. I think a 700×40 might be pushing it almost too far. These tires are almost due for retirement, and I’ll probably be going with something a little narrower, like a 700×32, in the near future.
With Northeast Ohio under a foot or more of snow at the moment, I have not had a chance to give these fenders a true road test yet. But they appear to be a very solid, functional, and not to mention quite attractive addition to my Cross-Check’s red wardrobe. For those not into making their bike look like Santa’s sleigh, the Civia Market 48 Fenders also come in Black, Silver, and Gray. The suggested retail price is $55. If they don’t have them in stock, your favorite local bicycle shop should be able to order them for you.
Cleveland Critical Mass – Oct. 29, 2010
Posted by on October 30, 2010
I attended my first-ever Critical Mass ride last night. I’ve always had mixed feelings about the Critical Mass concept. Like many cyclists who ride sometimes for recreation and sometimes for utility, I agree with the message behind the event, but question if this is the best way to deliver the message. But whatever my feelings, I figured that as one who promotes the bicycling lifestyle, I should check it out for myself. At the very least, I saw it as a good excuse for a few dozen (or a few hundred) people to get together in the city to have a good time, and nobody can argue against the idea that Cleveland can use more of that.
My girlfriend and I loaded our bikes on the car (yes, probably antithetical to the spirit of the event) and drove to the Tremont neighborhood, the eventual ending point of the ride. We made the 15-minute spin over to downtown and Public Square, just in time to say a few hellos and get started at 6:30pm sharp.
The Halloween Critical Mass ride in every city tends to bring out a large crowd, and Cleveland was no exception. The variety of costumes being sported was second only to the variety of bicycles. Some of my favorites were a woman dressed as Fay Wray, complete with a giant King Kong hairy hand wrapped around her body, a guy on a tallbike dressed as a masked wrestler, a Supergirl and a Wonder Woman, a stuffed dinosaur, and two guys as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, who battled with their light sabres as we rolled through the streets.
Unlike the the Critical Mass rides in certain other cities, the Cleveland ride has a reputation for maintaining the peaceful nature of its demonstration. The police were present at various points throughout the route as we pedaled east along the Euclid Corridor through the Cleveland State University campus, back past Progressive Field and through Public Square again, through the Warehouse District, then over the Detroit Superior Bridge into Ohio City, then eventually to Tremont. It was not apparent whether the police were present specifically to monitor the event, or we just saw them as they were making their regular rounds around town. At a couple of intersections, they even helped direct traffic for us to help us to keep our whole group together.
We did get a fair number of honks in protest from the drivers that were being held up at intersections, but got just as many (if not more) honks of support from other drivers.
It was a fun and unique experience for my girlfriend; her most memorable comment was, “I was just called a freak for the first time in my life.” At the end of the ride, we enjoyed a pizza and a beer at Edison’s pub.
As I’ve reflected on the event afterwards, I still have my mixed feelings about it, but also have a little more respect for it as a valid form of peaceful protest. Among the diverse crowd, there were many who, like myself, were just there to have a good time. However, I became more aware that many of them live the bicycling lifestyle not because they feel it’s the best choice they have, but because it’s the only choice they have. I have a renewed appreciation for somebody who demonstrates to defend their lifestyle when the only choice they have is their lifestyle or no lifestyle.
There’s a saying that’s becoming more and more popular in all advocacy circles lately, “The world is run by those who show up.” Critical Mass is a reminder to the rest of the world that when necessary, we have a lot of people who are willing to show up.
See clevelandcriticalmass.com for the movement’s own words.
Another frame builder in Cleveland
Posted by on October 27, 2010
Cleveland, Ohio-based bicycle frame builder Dan Polito made a big spash after winning the Best of Show award at the 2009 North American Handmade Bicycle Show. A new builder appears to be dipping their toes into the frame-building business. Rust Best Welding Company posted pictures on their blog of a prototype bike polo frame called the Marco Polo. The group also builds custom furniture; see more info and photos at: http://rustbeltwelding.wordpress.com
